Dusty (Laura Cannon) is growing restless from being shacked up with Tony (Last House on the Left), so she robs him blind (but not before balling him first) and splits. She then hocks his valuables at a pawn shop and proceeds to rob the owner blind (but not before balling him first). Dusty then bumps into her drag queen friend Candy (Neil Flanagan from Guru the Mad Monk) who lets her crash at her apartment where she turns tricks to help out with the rent. Things seemingly change for the better when Dusty falls head over heels for a rich Wall Street lawyer named Bob (Harry Reems). Predictably, her newfound happiness will not last very long.
I don’t know if bleak is the right word for this drama. Maybe realistic is a better fit. After seeing so many of writer/director Andy Milligan’s fanciful horror flicks, Fleshpot of 42nd Street is kind of a shock. I mean that in a good way. I think it’s funny that he spent so much time and money (OK, maybe not money) making those period horror movies when his real strength seems to be in the gritty sex film market. As with Nightbirds, he shows he has a knack for capturing the squalor and despair of lost souls living on the fringes of society who use sex as a survival mechanism.
Milligan’s period horror films are marked by overly theatrical performances and hammy dialogue. Fleshpot on 42nd Street is proof that when he’s working with naturalistic actors who say dialogue that sounds like actual human conversation, the results can be truly worthwhile. Make no mistake, this isn’t exactly a classic. If anything, it’s a better than average sexploitation drama. However, compared to the majority of Milligan’s other films, it’s some Turner Classic Movies type shit.
The film also benefits from an interesting cast which is comprised of actors from Doris Wishman movies, porn stars, co-stars from Last House on the Left (which came out the same year), and porn stars that co-starred in Last House on the Left. Cannon (who also appeared with Reems in Forced Entry) is great in the lead, but it's Flanagan who steals the movie as Cherry, the drag queen with a heart of gold. As awful as he was in Guru the Mad Monk, he is terrific here as he lends a touch of dignity to what could’ve otherwise been a stereotypical character. He also provides a gratuitous plug for Milligan’s previous films when he tells Cannon says they should take in a double feature of Torture Dungeon and Bloodthirsty Butchers.
Surprisingly enough, the sex scenes are probably the weakest part of the movie. There are some hardcore inserts during a couple of the sex scenes, but the camerawork is awkward and the editing is jarring, which ruins the intended impact. Whenever the characters are conversing in between the sex, Fleshpot of 42nd Street really comes alive.
Milligan Motifs: Not many, other than the use of stock library music and the fact it was partially shot on Staten Island.
Milligan Stock Company: Neil Flanagan was the primary repeat offender.
AKA: Erotic Diary of a Happy Hooker. AKA: Flashpot on 42nd Street. AKA: The Girls of 42nd Street.
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